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Mass-produced mall stuff? Ho-hum. Gift cards? So impersonal. Thoughtfully chosen art or crafts

you made with your own hands? Priceless.

DIY: Hands-On and HeartfeltThe best gifts often are the ones we

make ourselves.If you’re looking for a hot idea, guests at

International Hot Glass (407.345.0561; internationalhotglass.com) located in the Artegon Marketplace Orlando can walk in and craft an ornament, flower or heart in about 40 minutes (prices start at $45). Brandon Price, co-owner and studio direc-tor, says most people opt for ornaments or heart-shaped paperweights, though cups and vases also are popular. The shop also holds more detailed classes and has a retail gallery.

If someone you know always has to loosen their belt after a meal, you can make them a new one. Ed Ratanun leads two-hour belt-making classes twice a month at The Hide Shop ($60). Belts are available in black, medium brown and tan, and attendees can choose their own buckles. Contact Ratanun (407.810.8231; ed@hellbrandleather.com) to learn how to measure someone else’s belt size.

Shop/Mingle/Make at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (407.646.2526; rollins.edu/cfam) offers seasonal refreshments, a chance to shop in the quaint gift shop (details to follow), and materials for kids to

craft their own greeting cards and decora-tions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 13. At CFAMily Day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 14), kids are welcomed again to make holiday cards and décor items.

Similarly, the Casselberry Art House (407.262.7700, x1122; casselberry.org) offers holiday classes led by local artist Marla E. A Holiday Gift Wrap class is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 20 for $30. The Dec. 11 Wine Tote Workshop is from 7 to 9 p.m. and costs $30, including materials and one tote.

Other DIY gift opportunities include making ornaments at The Pottery Studio; (407.246.4488; cityoforlando.net/pottery)or mosaic glasswork at Sugar Skull Artz (407.930.0750; sugarskullartz.info).

All Wrapped UpFor thoughtful, original gifts, take your

list to Park Avenue in Winter Park. Tiffany reigns at The Charles Hosmer

Morse Museum of American Art (407.645.5311; morsemuseum.org), where the gift shop offers an array of colorful scarves, jewelry and other items that recall the artist’s Art Nouveau heyday. Standouts include the “Magnolia” silk scarf ($45), based on the leaded-glass window that

By G.K. Sharman

International Hot Glass

The Hide Shop

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Tiffany created for his New York mansion, in addition to jewelry ranging in price from $30 to nearly $200.

The Scott Laurent Collection (407.629.0278; scottlaurentcollection.com) features jewelry, original art, glass and home accents. Owner Rick Stanley says that hot items this season include Bulgarian pottery by Danko ($45 to $695) and colorful original oils by local artist Laura Varich ($595 to $895).

For friends who adore the handmade, Ten Thousand Villages (407.644.8464; tenthousandvillages.com) specializes in fair-trade goods from around the world. Popular items include a wine rack made

of bicycle chains (from India, $45) and baskets from Zimbabwe (starting at $39). The shop also carries unique nativity scenes and menorahs from $29 to $275.

The ever-eclectic Timothy’s Gallery (407.629.0707; timothysgallery.com) is the place to find Thomas Mann’s techno-romantic jewelry (prices start at $85 for earrings) and Mary Anne Richman’s pearled and bejeweled wearable art (prices start around $280 for bracelets).

Take a detour onto New England Avenue and prepare to go through the looking glass at Rifle Paper Co. (407.622.7679; riflepaperco.com), where you can find the 150th anniversary

Orlando Museum of Art

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

Rifle Paper Co.

Ten Thousand Villages

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edition of Alice in Wonderland (Puffin Books, $30). The book features more than 70 illustrations by shop co-founder/owner Anna Bond.

At the south end of Park Avenue, Winter Park residents will appreciate Cornell Fine Art Museum’s “Art for Rollins” catalogs, volumes I and II ($30 each, $50 for the set) or notebooks from artist Nathan Selikoff’s Local Notebook project ($17); the Winter Park edition fea-tures laser-etched maps on the cover. Other popular items include a Baby Wit onesie ($24) and hand-poured soy candles by Raven and Lily ($24).

Local artists shine at the gift shop in the Orlando Museum of Art (407.896.4231; omart.org), which offers sculptures, paintings, ceramics and jewelry. Featured artists are Christine Peloquin, who does mixed-media collage on board ($65 to $900); abstract expressionist Roberto Gonzalez, who sells original works (start-ing at $1,400) and prints ($35); Mindy Colton, known for her ceramic horses

($395 to $1,100); and Katherine Mathisen, whose Buddha sculptures have room for keepsakes ($125).

Also at the museum is the annual Festival of Trees, offering a wonderland of designer-decorated tannenbaums from Nov. 14 to 22. Here you’ll find everything from elegantly decorated wreaths and tabletop trees to gingerbread houses and holiday-themed jewelry. (See Décor on page 30 for holiday decorating tips from some of the festival’s top designers.)

The Atlantis Art Glass Studio (407.896.9116; atlantisartglassstudio.com) has a retail shop with everything from paperweights ($20 and up) to sun catchers to dichroic jewelry to blown glass, to cus-tom work.

With a little retail therapy, you’ll man-age to shop for the naughty and the nice and support local artists, museums and galleries at the same time.

Freelance writer G.K. Sharman is a regular contributor to Orlando Arts Magazine.

For cultural organizations, giving back is something that takes place all year.

When you add up the performances, classes and exhibitions, we’re talking upward of a million free

arts-related experiences a year, according to United Arts of Central Florida.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater spon-sors a free open house every fall for the com-munity to learn about its programming. The event includes crafts, costumed characters and raffles. In May, the theater recalls its roots as an outdoor Shakespeare festival with a free movie night in Loch Haven Park.

In 2009, drastic school-related budget cuts spurred Winter Park Playhouse to take its kid-friendly shows to local schools. Its REACH program brings musical theater to Title I and other underserved elementary schools in Central Florida, says Heather Alexander, playhouse co-founder and execu-tive director. REACH expanded in 2013 to include an after-school drama program for select middle and elementary schools.

Alexander estimates that their efforts have reached 40,000 children in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO) has been bringing music to children for more than 20 years with its Young People’s Concerts. OPO holds about 25 concerts each year for an audience of some 50,000 children—every third-, fourth- and fifth-grader in Orange County, plus private-school and home-schooled students.

These are just a few of the great programs available in Central Florida. Check with your favorite organizations to see what they offer.

Scott Laurent Collection

ART From the Heart

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